Builds My Woodland Pearl LX470 progress thread (1 Viewer)

[benznotmercedes]

Hey everyone. I've mostly lurked for the past several months, but now I have a rig of my own.

I'm mostly a Euro guy (Audi, etc) and have never really had a truck or SUV. I wanted a 100 series, preferably a LX470 because I used to have an LS430 and just like how the front end looks better.

I wanted an 03+ with the 5 speed, but with how much dealers were selling even beat-up facelift trucks for (upper teens) and the difficulty of finding one with functioning AHC, etc for a good price, I started thinking I might need to settle for the 98-02 with the 4-speed trans or maybe do a GX470.

Test drove a few LX470s but ended up finding this on Craigslist of all places in Milwaukee (I'm in Atlanta). It was about half price compared to what I'd been looking at, and I'm trying to save for a down payment on a house and a wedding.... so a cheaper price of entry was great.

Texted the guy, sent him a deposit, flew north and drove it home. Left my house 3:30AM to go to the airport and got home at 9:30PM. The truck did great. I can't emphasize enough how solid and well-built it feels, even though it has close to 400k on it. I'm very glad I bought a high mileage rig with records - my thought was, why pay double or triple for a lower mile example if it'll last forever anyway lol.

Stats:

2000 LX470
Woodland Green, paint in great shape with no clear coat peel or major dents
100% bone stock other than Weathertech mats and EXTREMELY dark window tint
Owned by a federal judge from new until 2022, then an engineer who said he tinted it because it was street parked in the city.
Rolled over 365,000 miles on the drive home

Maintenance
- Timing belt at 322k, Lexus dealer
- 2 alternators
- Starter at 190
- 4 new Michelins
- New pads, rotors, and calipers
- Control arm bushings
- Axles
- Battery
- OEM radiator

Absolutely everything works, except the liftgate latch is funky and you have to slam it so it's able to open next time - I think it's related to the lock actuator arm.

In terms of rust - upper tailgate is bad, and the rear door jambs near the wheel wells. The frame is in really good shape, including the perches and body mounts. It must have been undercoated or fluid filmed or something, just surface stuff down there. I'm going to source a tailgate and I guess have some metal welded in to fix the door jamb area.

Eventually I'd like to do mild wheels/tires so I can enjoy some light trails with my Cayenne buddies, but the primary purpose is a reliable and functional/practical rig I can take anywhere.

Here are some pics:

Meeting the seller to take it home

Rolled over 365K

Home safe, 750 miles later

Immediately took it to cars and coffee the next morning, felt out of place next to my buddy's mk4

Interior isn't bad for 365k! Driver seat could use some love/new foam but not urgent. Also I have no idea why they did the steering wheel cover rather than just dyeing the wheel where it was worn, but oh well.

Judging by the cleanliness of the cargo area, the federal judge who owned this never used it to haul stuff. But you can see the upper tailgate is rusted pretty badly.

Immediately ripped off the window tint. I couldn't see a damn thing out of the truck since they tinted over the factory reflective tint on the rear doors and quarter windows/back glass. That's better. I'd like to find some tint that more closely matches the factory "goldish" tint to go on the front 2 windows if anyone has any recommendations.

Much better.

My fiancee was like "do you want me to cover up the rust spot for a pic?"

Mmmmmm.... patina. The seller neglected to mention this or the tailgate until I'd flown to get it which was super cool. At least I got him to sell it cheaper.
I will need a cutout from a donor to have this fixed probably.

On a positive note, clear side markers arrived today from Amazon. Look good, fit well, and were $39 shipped. The bulb mount isn't exactly the same (I believe there are threads on here about this) but I was able to get the bulbs to seat.

Thanks for reading this long thread. Plans for the near future:

- Diagnose brakes smell from rear. Calipers are new. If I had to guess it's the e brake being adjusted too tight. Was totally fine on long drive home but I think I put the e brake on and it started after that.
- Diagnose rear liftgate latch. You have to manually pull the rod from the inside to get the lock to come out all the way so the hatch can open. When you lock the truck again the process repeats.
- Find a solution for CarPlay head unit with OEM Nakamichi non-nav stereo. I have read there is no direct plug and play install kit but you can bodge something together out of various OEM Toyota connectors.
- Replace upper tailgate. If anyone happens to have a green one, let me know
- Eventually fix that rust near rear door jambs.
- Eventually 16" JDM wheels and all terrains

 

[excessive]

Welcome, you'll find a wealth of info on this forum for your issues.

The e-brake is very easy to adjust with the rear turnbuckle, just make sure your "bellcranks" are not frozen.
There are plenty of bluetooth solutions available , i am using the BT-45TOY, and I really like it
I am willing to bet your liftgate issues are related to the rust. the 3rd brake lights are known to leak, letting water in and causing rust


FYI I think your color is called "Imperial Jade Mica" but i could be wrong

 

[dbfw]

Looks great! There is a big thread on here about making a connector with factory parts to plug into the Nakamichi 22-pin connector. We're all happy to help if you get stuck on that.

The longer I've had my 99, the more I'm appreciating not having to worry about dealing with things like VGRS, or aging integrated stereo/hvac issues. Sure I sometimes wish I had the extra gear on the highway, but she doesn't mind spinning up for hours on end.

 

[benznotmercedes]

Welcome, you'll find a wealth of info on this forum for your issues.

The e-brake is very easy to adjust with the rear turnbuckle, just make sure your "bellcranks" are not frozen.
There are plenty of bluetooth solutions available , i am using the BT-45TOY, and I really like it
I am willing to bet your liftgate issues are related to the rust. the 3rd brake lights are known to leak, letting water in and causing rust


FYI I think your color is called "Imperial Jade Mica" but i could be wrong

I bet it's related to the rust too. Does the BT45TOY work with the non nav 98-02 Nakamichi?

In the meantime, here's what I use as a BT FM transmitter. It's less than $20, has quick charge USB ports, and doesn't sound awful. Plugs into the cig lighter port and isn't bulky/ugly looking. I have 2-3 of these for all the older cars in the fleet.

https://www.amazon.com/IMDEN-bluetooth-transmitter-Wireless-Hands-Free/dp/B07F2RTN5Z/

Woodland Pearl seems to have been the LX color and they called the LC color something different.

Looks great! There is a big thread on here about making a connector with factory parts to plug into the Nakamichi 22-pin connector. We're all happy to help if you get stuck on that.

The longer I've had my 99, the more I'm appreciating not having to worry about dealing with things like VGRS, or aging integrated stereo/hvac issues. Sure I sometimes wish I had the extra gear on the highway, but she doesn't mind spinning up for hours on end.

Since the engine is so smooth and quiet the highway RPM doesn't bother me, it's more of having too much space between gears so it feels sluggish accelerating - or when you need to kick down there isn't a good choice of gear to kick down to lol.

 

[99UnDaCuvaBrutha]

Congrats on that sweet 100. That poor upper hatch! Hope you can find a solid replacement.

 

[benznotmercedes]

Congrats on that sweet 100. That poor upper hatch! Hope you can find a solid replacement.

As a matter of fact, I spent this morning dying in the heat at the junkyard. Scored a totally rust free upper hatch, fog lights, rear cargo mat which I don’t have, and a GX470 steering wheel in black. I’ll have to do more research on the wheel, but the splines are the same I think.

 

[DFXR]

I was in Milwaukee earlier this week. The rust is crazy. Every second car is half eaten away. I saw a pile of road salt staged next to the highway that was big enough to have its own zip code.

The fact that your LX isn’t any worse after ~25 years of that means somebody was taking good care of it. Nice score on the upper lift gate too!

 

[Super77]

Congrats and welcome. I’ve done both the Euro (MB W124) and Japanese car hobby and I find Land Cruisers far preferable. Older quality German cars are good for competent hobbyists, but on more complex repairs, like Bosch K-Jetronic fuel systems - a skilled “old school” tech in the US will cost you more than an attorney. Land Cruiser parts are plentiful and relatively affordable, dealerships and lots of indy garages will happily work on even the older ones if you cannot, resale value is strong, and the community here is AWESOME.

Lucky find in the boneyard! Each time a LC/LX/4R lands in my local P&P, the vultures are already waiting with tools in hand .

 

[2000UZJ]

Welcome! See you around Atlanta

 

[benznotmercedes]

Congrats and welcome. I’ve done both the Euro (MB W124) and Japanese car hobby and I find Land Cruisers far preferable. Older quality German cars are good for competent hobbyists, but on more complex repairs, like Bosch K-Jetronic fuel systems - a skilled “old school” tech in the US will cost you more than an attorney. Land Cruiser parts are plentiful and relatively affordable, dealerships and lots of indy garages will happily work on even the older ones if you cannot, resale value is strong, and the community here is AWESOME.

Lucky find in the boneyard! Each time a LC/LX/4R lands in my local P&P, the vultures are already waiting with tools in hand .

I definitely understand! My drug of choice is 90s 5-cylinder turbo Audis. I have to work on them myself because no one knows what they are or how to do it.

May as well post them.

1995.5 S6 Avant

1990 Coupe Quattro with S2/RS2 engine swap

2006 911 C2. 130k and counting.

So as you can see, I need something reliable lol

 

[benznotmercedes]

Having some hot brakes smells from the rear wheels. Seems to be more common in city than highway driving and/or when the brakes have been used a lot.

Jacked the truck up and tried to spin the wheels, I feel a little resistance but nothing that feels out of the ordinary. I guess I'll back the e brake adjuster off a couple clicks and see if that fixes it. Perhaps spinning the large tire made it feel easier than it really would be.

Calipers are new within the last 5k miles, by the way. I think it's unlikely that the slide pins are stuck.

 

[dbfw]

Having some hot brakes smells from the rear wheels. Seems to be more common in city than highway driving and/or when the brakes have been used a lot.

Jacked the truck up and tried to spin the wheels, I feel a little resistance but nothing that feels out of the ordinary. I guess I'll back the e brake adjuster off a couple clicks and see if that fixes it. Perhaps spinning the large tire made it feel easier than it really would be.

Calipers are new within the last 5k miles, by the way. I think it's unlikely that the slide pins are stuck.

Any wetness around the backing plate or visible on the wheel? I had a rear axle seal go and the seep of gear oil on the hot rotors was my first clue.

 

[Jack90210]

I have an N54 335i coupe and a 3.6l Macan Turbo, when people complain about Toyota parts prices I just nod politely.

 

[benznotmercedes]

Any wetness around the backing plate or visible on the wheel? I had a rear axle seal go and the seep of gear oil on the hot rotors was my first clue.

That's a good idea - I'll check this weekend.

------

Dropped the rear hatch off at paint, should have it installed by the end of next week.

I ordered a head unit. This ATOTO: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D9Q5S5F5?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

Obviously not top-of-the-line but I've had the same brand in my 911 since 2020 with good results. I'll be cutting the factory connector and splicing this one in. Also comes with a backup camera - I personally am in the "just turn around" camp but my fiancee loves this truck and would like her to be comfortable driving it. I'll have to do some research on routing the cable as I've never installed a head unit with a backup camera before.

Finally registered it. I like getting specialty license plates that match the car. Zoo Atlanta plate is green so why not?

 

[benznotmercedes]

Got the head unit installed on Saturday.

Old head unit out. I followed the guide on Mud that details splicing into the factory harness. I saw a bunch of discussion about using OEM parts to make an adapter, but honestly depinning and repinning, etc etc seemed like more effort than simply splicing into the factory wiring.

Separating out the wiring - cut everything relevant and put them into two groups, speaker input and "general."

Once I got everything cut out of the factory connector, I started to connect everything to my new head unit's plug. I used heat shrink butt connectors and ratcheting crimpers from amazon. Highly, highly recommend ratcheting crimpers if you don't have them. They do a MUCH better job and are not expensive at all.

Had to install the double DIN edges onto the ATOTO head unit. It's crazy how slim things are these days. From here, I installed the OEM bracket onto the head unit.

Finished product! I used the bezel and did some trial and error, it seems to fit decently. One note -- the volume was WAY too loud when I got everything installed. I vaguely remember from installing the radio in my 911 that you're supposed to make sure the volume is either all the way up or all the way down or something before you install an aftermarket radio if you're still using the factory amp. I did not that. I went into the EQ settings and reduced the gain for each speaker down to -12db and now my volume is reasonable. Also, the factory sub wouldn't really activate. I changed the subwoofer settings on the new head unit to be 20-400hz range and that fixed it. Still not bumpin per se but the sub works.

Also, my new fog lights came in! It had these Chinese sequential LED fogs which frankly looked corny, way too new for the truck. One was full of condensation anyway. This looks a lot better.

 

[benznotmercedes]

Oh…. I forgot. I won an auction.

17x9 3-piece Lodio Drive Cinqs from Japan.

They should be here in a few weeks, at which point I’ll put some tires on them.

Looking for an all terrain tire that’s moderately capable, I don’t think I’ll be wheeling this super hard beyond forest roads etc. would prefer a tire that still has decent road quietness and isn’t super heavy. 295/70/17 maybe?

 

[benznotmercedes]

Took the rig to Highlands NC for the weekend, did great and was very nice to have the room for all the crap we always end up buying on vacation.

We saw my twin! Had AT tires, front bumper and a rack. YOHB?

Got to work swapping the hatch. Old one coming off…. Definitely advise keeping the struts connected to make it easier to maneuver. Those 12mm on the hinges want to strip easily since they’re painted.

Nasty old hatch.

Here she is! So nice to have a handle to open the rear hatch.

 

[benznotmercedes]

Spoiler arrived. Has anyone had experience with these? Looks like the hatch the truck has on it includes threaded holes for mounting the early “deflector” type spoiler.

I think what I’ll do is mount it with the bolts in the factory 3rd brake light mounts and get mounting tape for the edges and attach to the hatch that way. I’ll have to wire the 3rd brake light on the spoiler in also. I would rather not drill holes in the hatch I just had painted lol. If anyone has any pointers let me know, otherwise I'll figure something out this weekend. I have learned the hard way in the past not to have parts painted prior to figuring out fitment!

Here's what the bottom of the spoiler looks like/how it mounts.

Another view of spoiler.

Top of hatch

And here's the hardware it came with. Not sure what the plastic things are for. I thought templates for drilling holes but they don't line up exactly.

 

[benznotmercedes]

Got the spoiler installed and took the rig on a trip to NC for the 4th. Another 900 miles down. Current odometer: 367,550.

I’ll need to remove it again because somehow the 3rd brake light wiring got severed during installation; but at least it looks cool.

Beginning the search for 285/70/17 or maybe 295/70 for my JDM wheels. They’re 17x9 +52 and I figure I’d use 1” spacers bringing them to about a +27 offset. Thoughts?

Not looking for an extremely heavy tire. Would like an all terrain but as light and quiet as possible. If I have to sacrifice some off road performance at the top end that’s ok.

I’ve heard good things about General Grabber ATX- 46lbs.

 

[benznotmercedes]

Wheels have arrived from Japan!

They are 17x9 +58 so my spacers will put me at +33 offset.

Hope to have tires mounted this weekend.

My favorite part of Japanese wheels is the strange English writing.